Backroad Odyssey : Travel, Van Life & Lost Locations
Traveling America's backroads, road trip experts - Noah and Noodles - explore fascinating locations overlooked while traveling. Living out of a van, they unravel the - often shocking - story behind each neglected story or location. If you love travel, exploration and unique locations - join us on the road!
Episodes
What's a National Park City?
My dog Noodles and I hike the trails of America's FIRST National Park City - Chattanooga, Tennessee - to find out!
The answer might surprise you ...
We'll also answer listener question at the end - which include:
- How would you rank the National Parks you've been to?
- Just listened to the Civil War series, how much research would you recommend doing before visiting Gettysburg?...
What's the real story of West Virginia?
Why is the state often ignored, stereotyped and forgotten?
In what world do these questions explain the flurry of West Virginia Mothman sightings of the 1960's?
We answer all this and more as we hike mountain trails and visit the small town of Point Pleasant, a location infamous for its association with the Mothman.
Safe travels!
Works Cited:
https://www.jstor.org/stable/4242460?...
Today Noodles and I camp in the Haze of the Blue Ridge Mountains to answer the following questions:
What are the blue ridge mountains?
Why are they worth exploring?
Why has this section of the country long been steeped in mystery, supernatural stories and the occasional strain of true crime.
We also answer listener questions including:
- What place would you not revisit?
- What’s a funny story from the road?
- What makes van life worth...
Why should we care about Ernest Hemingway's time in Key West?
What did this great American novelist REALLY do and accomplish during his brief residency on the island from 1931 to 1939?
My dog and I spend a week on the island to answer these - and more - questions ...
Works Cited:
Great, concise book about Hemingway's time in Key West:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/104236.Hemingway_s_Key_West
...
A singular stretch of untamed wilderness lines Calirfonia's Northern Coast.
A landscape so rugged and dramatic that the state's infamous 'route one' avoids it's sheer cliffs and crashing waves.
My dog Noodles and I spend three days along this coast - while there we hear a love story.
-
We answer listener questions at the end, which include:
- How do you know where you're going next?
- Does your van ...
What’s the real story and legacy of Plymouth Rock?
Did the so-called “Pilgrims” REALLY step upon that particular rock that fateful Autumn of 1620?
Why and how did Plymouth Rock become the defining “Founding of America" Myth?
My dog Noodles and I visit the rock in Plymouth Massachusetts to find out!
Works Cited:
https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv1wxsdq.7?searchText=plymouth+rock&searchUri=%2Faction%2...
Who is The Skunk Ape?
Noodles and I take the van to visit Skunk Ape Headquarters deep in the Florida Everglades in search of answers.
We’ll also be answering listener question at the end, which include:
- What do you listen to while driving?
- Do you ever take showers in your van?
- How long does it take you to visit a location?
- How do you avoid conversation bias on the show?
Brief Works Cited:
The sparse fields of North Dakota hold a secret …
Mysterious scrape metal statues populate the wind-swept landscape.
The reason behind their labored construction and the harrowing story of the man who built them - that’s a story worth telling.
This is the fable of the Enchanted Highway…
Works Cited:
https://www.atlasobscura.com/videos/meet-the-man-who-built-north-dakota-s-enchanted-highway
How much do we REALLY know about eclipses?
My answer one year ago would have been - not much.
-
To amend this, my dog and I witness a total solar eclipse and - nearly a year later - a lunar eclipse in Southern Florida.
We use each experience to explore the profound cultural, historical and scientific significance of eclipses.
Sit back, relax and join our venture into cosmic happenings well beyond the walls of our small van ...
List...
Crater of Diamonds State Park is the only place in the world where the public can search for natural diamonds at their volcanic source.
The 37 acre eroded volcanic crater sees hopeful prospectors prying through loose soil - hoping to find more than just dirt
Some do … some do not …
Regardless, the history of the park is just as fascinating as the diamonds that litter its ground.
My dog Noodles and I visit the field i...
America sleeps far away from the impending conflicts of World War II.
Despite this VAST distance, an anxiety lingers in the mind of American President - Franklin D. Roosevelt …
My dog Noodles and I scale WWII observation towers along the Delaware coast - and use the story of their construction to illustrate the deep anxieties present in the pre-war American government.
All this is to say:
The slow buildup to Amer...
Abandoned towns are scattered throughout the American Landscape.
These remnants of bygone eras tempt us to speculate about the lives of those that left …
Why did they leave?
What makes the American West particularly populated with these so-called “Ghost Towns?”
Noodles and I explore the desolate ghost town of Grafton - just south of Zion National Park - to find out!
Recommendations:
Good reference before visiting Grafton, t...
The Redwoods are home to the world’s tallest trees.
WHAT'S the secret to their staggering growth? Why is this unique ecosystem worth visiting?
Noodles and I hike deep into the Old-Growth Redwoods of Northern California to find out!
-
As always, we'll answer listener question at the end, which include:
- Have you had any cryptid encounters on the road?
- Is is hard to drive your van?
- Any national parks you'd like t...
What started as a modest drug store now welcomes millions of curious travelers …
Welcome to Wall Drug!
Home to a Robot T-rex, 6,000 cowboy boots, animatronic singers, a working chapel - and of course, their famous 5 cent coffee …
Join my dog Noodles and I as we explore the wild story of Americas largest and most bizarre drug store!
Works Cited:
Southern Florida is home to an aquatic gentle giant: THE MANATEE.
But how much do we really know about this wondering benign behemoth?
Noodles and I dive deep into the warm springs, rivers and tributaries of Florida to research this fascinating creature.
As always we'll answer listener questions at the end, which include:
- Who or what did you learn to appreciate after research for the sun records episode?
- Can you keep ...
Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee claims to be the birthplace of Rock and Roll.
But just what does it mean to be “The Birthplace of Rock and Roll”?
Can we accept such a claim without first diving even deep into the murky depths of American musical history.
Noodles and I head to Memphis to find out …
(Beneath the shadow of Graceland and within earshot of the blues of Beale street - the small label hosted musi...
Today we explore just a SMALL sample of the various cryptids and oddities that are said to inhabit our nations most pristine landscapes.
These aren't your average cryptids folks ...
As always, we'll answer listener questions at the end, which include:
What advice would you give to someone thinking about solo travel?
What if anything surprised you about the Ave Maria Grotto?
A miniature city crafted from recycled materials lies in the Alabama woods.
One solitary Bavarian Monk is behind its construction.
Noodles and I join the thousands of visitors stopping to admire this humble monk’s startling creation - This is the story of the Ave Maria Grotto.
Works Cited:
https://georgiabulletin.org/commentary/2013/11/a-real-life-fairy-tale-brother-joseph-and-the-av...
Can a tree own itself?
In Georgia the answer is a resounding ... KINDOF!
The curios story of one trees accepted autonomy is a tale worth telling - Noodles and I visit it's location in Athens, Georgia to investigate.
As always, we'll answer listener questions at the end - which include:
How much energy does your solar power produce?
What happens when Noodles can’t go to a locati...
One solitary Blockbuster Video location remains ...
The story of this lonesome Blockbuster provides a lens into the larger rise and fall of an American icon.
Noodles and I visit Bend, Oregon to unpack the truly fascinating story of The Worlds Last Blockbuster.
Works Cited:
https://www.jstor.org/stable/41948252?searchText=blockbuster+video&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Db...
Popular Podcasts
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.
Latino USA is the longest-running news and culture radio program in the U.S. centering Latino stories, hosted by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Maria Hinojosa Every week, the Peabody winning team brings you revealing, in-depth stories about what’s in the hearts and minds of Latinos and their impact on the world. Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for exclusive episodes, sneak peaks and behind-the-scenes chisme on Latino USA and all our podcasts. www.futuromediagroup.org/joinplus